Many contemporary vehicles, especially those used for the transportation of passengers, are equipped with interior wall panels that are attached to a frame or other support structure of the vehicle. For example, the passenger compartments of most modern aircraft, trains, and buses are equipped with interior wall panels. Interior wall panels may improve the passenger's enjoyment by reducing noise or improving the aesthetic quality of the passenger's environment.
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an aircraft interior 10 prior to installation of wall panels 12 (not shown) in accordance with the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1, the aircraft interior 10 includes a plurality of elongated frame members 14, and a plurality of isolation mounts 16 are attached to each frame member 14. An enlarged isometric view of one of the isolation mounts 16 is shown in FIG. 2. The isolation mount 16 includes a mounting plate 18 having a pair of elongated slots 20 disposed therethrough. A floating nut 21 is clipped to the mounting plate 18 near each of the elongated slots 20. Mounting arms 22 (only one visible) extend from the mounting plate 18 along the sides of the frame member 14 and are secured to the frame member 14 by a fastener 24 (e.g. a rivet, screw, etc.). During assembly, a wall panel 12 is positioned beside the mounting plate 18, with a pair of hole 24 in the wall panel 12 aligned with the floating nuts 21. A mounting screw 26 is then passed through each hole 24 and secured to the corresponding floating nut 21, securing the wall panel 12 to the frame member 14.
Although desirable results have been achieved using the prior art panel mounting system shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, some drawbacks have been noted. For example, for installation of wall panels 12 into the aircraft interior 10, each wall panel 12 typically uses about eighty parts to secure into position, including ten isolation mounts 16 with two fasteners 24 per isolation mount 16, two floating nuts 21 per isolation mount 16, eight mounting screws 26, and various other components. In addition, the process of installing the wall panels 12 using the prior art installation may involve multiple tools and more than one person to accomplish. Consequently, there is an unmet need to reduce the number of parts, tools, and personnel, and associated expenses to install wall panels within the aircraft interior.